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[A tumor registry at a primary care center]
E Avellana1, J M Mendive, J Martí
1Centro de Asistencia Primaria La Mina, Unidad Docente de Medicina Familiar y Comunitaria de Barcelona.
Aim:
We analysed the data obtained from a tumor register kept in a Primary Care Centre (PCC) to find out the variables which contribute to the diagnostic and therapeutic evolution of our patients.
Design:
Retrospective study on every Neoplasia registered in the Centre.
Patients:
293 malignant Neoplasias were recorded in the period between June 1984 and June 1990 (184 in males--62.8%; and 109 in women--37.2%).
Measurements And Main Results:
The intervals between symptom and consultation (ISC), between consultation and referral (ICR), between referral and diagnosis (IRD) and between diagnosis and treatment (IDT) were evaluated. The average age at the moment of diagnosis was 59 (SD:13). There were 3.9% double neoplasias. The most frequent type was lung cancer with 41 cases (14%). This also occupied first place among men, whereas breast cancer did so among women. 10 tumours were diagnosed by screening: 4 breast, 5 cervix and 1 endometrium, which represent 16%, 50% and 14.3% respectively of these cancers. For all neoplasias taken together, the average time of ISC was 44.09 days (SD 73.48) and of IDT 25.75 days (SD:61.55). Given the wide variations, we assessed the most common types of tumour.
Conclusions:
The usefulness of keeping a tumour register in a Primary Care Centre, which could identify the factors which affect diagnostic delays and find possible corrective measures to reduce the delays, was appraised.